I always like to keep an eye on what Gail brings back from her trips to the Aberdeen Central Library, and I got all excited this week when I saw her latest selections.
So it seems she might be planning a trip to a place called Slovenia.
I wondered at first if Gail was contemplating a pilgrimage to the birthplace of her favourite cycling pro, Tadej Pogačar, but then I saw she was in fact researching options for hiking in the Julian Alps. Apparently she and her friend Marse are going to meet up there in late May.
Having been left behind once already this year, when Gail travelled to visit Marse and her family in Tacoma, Washington, I naturally assumed that this time I would be accompanying her. After all, I know she took my predecessor Bouncing Bertie to Switzerland and to Germany via train and ferry, and Slovenia really isn't that much further away. (I got a bit confused at first when trying to locate the country on Gail's old atlas, as this family heirloom dates back to the 1950s, when Slovenia was part of what is now referred to as the 'former Yugoslavia'.)
Anyway, this is what I found when I asked Google: 'is Slovenia dog-friendly?'
Sounds just up my street, don't you think? And I could so contribute to ensuring that the hiking trails remain "well marked"...
But it turns out Gail thinks I am "not yet calm enough" to be taken on a holiday that would entail several lengthy train journeys. One day perhaps?
Meanwhile, my disappointment was somewhat mitigated when I heard I've been booked in for a stay with my fox terrier relatives for the two weeks when Gail plans to be away.